W.J. Jeffery
|image= |origin=United Kingdom |hq=60 Queen Victoria Street, London, UK |founder=William Jackman Jeffery |setup=1891 |closed=2010 |owner= |subsids= |fate=Sold |keypeople= |types=Ammunition Rifles Shotguns |prods=.600 Nitro Express |serve=Worldwide}} W.J. Jeffery & Company was a London based firearm manufacturer, founded by William Jackman Jeffery in 1891.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W.J._Jeffery_%26_Co W.J. Jeffery started out building shotguns, but are perhaps better known for the creation of the .600 Nitro Express in 1903. History William J. Jeffery originally made a name for himself at Webley, working as a manager for the proposed showroom in Queen Victoria Street, London in 1887. Webley ultimately dropped this project, but Jeffery opted to buy the premises with a business partner, named Davies, to build and sell firearms. Their new venture, named Jeffery & Davies, started in 1890, but would be closed within a few months after little success. Jeffery decided to restart the company the following year, again using number 60 on Queen Victoria Street as a base. After a few years, with constant if not spectacular sales, Jeffery moved W.J. Jeffery & Co. (the new name for the business) to 13, King Street in St. James', while also opening a machining shop a few roads away at 1, Rose and Crown Yard. Jeffery's death in 1909, after the company made the relatively successful transition to ammunition work, saw his brother Charles take over. By 1914, the First World War and loss of revenue saw the Rose and Crown Yard close, with Charles moving the machine shops to 26 Bury Street in St. James' to reduce costs. Charles' death in 1920 saw nephew F. Jeffery Pearce take over the company, with the Queen Victoria Street shop relocated to Regent Street in the following year. W.J. Jeffery would remain on Regent Street until 1955, when the final move funded by the Jeffery family saw the shop floor set up in Pall Mall. Yet, in 1957, the firm would be on the move again, this time to 23 Conduit Street after Westley Richards bought-out the Jefferys earlier that year. It was another two years before Holland & Holland acquired the firm, where upon it was moved once more, ultimately ending up at 13 Burton Street, around a mile and a half away from the original shop on Victoria Street. The firm remained in Holland & Holland's hands until 2000, when the rights to the firm's name were bought by J. Roberts & Son.http://www.jroberts-gunmakers.co.uk/about-history.php The naming rights were later sold on by J. Roberts & Son in 2010, with production of W.J. Jeffery branded arms and ammuntion is currently on hold as the frim moved to the United States after its most recent sale. Products Although custom built shotguns were what W.J. Jeffery began making in 1891, the firm quickly developed an affitinty with rifles, particularly large-bore hunting weapons. Both double-barrel and single barrel rifles were produced by the firm, all of which were custom made, hand engraved and assembled in their shops across London. Ammunition In building custom hunting rifles, W.J. Jeffery also delved into the world of cartridge making, designing its first cartridge in 1899. Jeffery cartridges quickly established a reputation for the potentcy, although the reliability and accuracy of their rounds was often questioned. The following cartridges were designed, developed and/or produced by W.J. Jeffery throughout their existence in London: *.400 Jeffery Nitro Express *.600 Nitro Express *.404 Jeffery *.333 Jeffery - Particularly popular in the First World War against armoured sniper divisions. *.303 Magnum *.500 Jeffery Production of these cartridges is generally limited to demand (ie order), although it is more common to purchase old rounds from private collectors. Trivia *Edward James "Jim" Corbett used a W.J. Jeffery double rifle, chambered for the .400 Jeffery Nitro Express, during his infamous hunting experiences in India and Africa. References Category:Companies